It’s critical to grasp what addiction is and isn’t in order to comprehend the illness properly.

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Truth: A lack of moral character or willpower does not cause addiction

Those who acquired addictions were thought to be morally deficient or to lack willpower when academics first started looking into what led to addictive behavior in the 1930s. “Addicts” faced consequences. Alternatively, they were urged to gather the fortitude to overcome their routines.

With the accumulation of new knowledge throughout time, addiction is now understood to be a chronic illness that alters both the structure and function of the brain. The brain experiences a sequence of changes in addiction, starting with the awareness of pleasure and concluding with a desire for obsessive activity. Substance use disorders (SUDs) are now better diagnosed and treated because to scientific advancements.

Reality: Addiction Is Not Something You Can Just Quit or Get Over

Many have resisted the idea that drug abusers who suffer from addiction do it on purpose and with malice. In actuality, addiction problems are a medical condition.

Insensitive language, stigma, and misconceptions frequently deter those in need of assistance from asking for it. Myths and misconceptions about SUDs will fade as our knowledge of them grows. Consequently, an increasing number of people will pursue therapy.

Addiction Can Be Treated

There are several affordable, efficient, and safe therapies for addiction. Treatments differ based on the kind of drug abuse problem.

For alcohol use disorder, opioid use disorder, and nicotine use disorder, there are effective treatments available. Medication and psychological therapies are frequently combined. Any stage of an addiction can benefit from treatment, which can be customized to the requirements of the individual.

An Overview of Drug and Alcohol Dependency Facts

About 20.3 million people battled SUDs during 2017 and 2018, according to a 2018 study conducted by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

7.9 million Americans had the simultaneous onset of SUD and other mental diseases, according to a different 2014 research. Even if there has been a decline in the gender gap since then, males made up half of that population.

Millions of people suffer from the prevalent mental illness known as substance use disorder. According to a 2011 SAMHSA report, 22.1 million people, or 8.9% of the American population 12 years of age or older, are thought to fit the diagnostic criteria for SUD.

The percentage of users who would become dependent on a given substance was broken down by SAMHSA:

8–9% of marijuana users

12–13% of drinkers

15–16% of those who take cocaine

67% of those who use nicotine

In America, alcohol is among the most widely used—and abused—substances. According to data from the 2018 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) in the United States, 139.8 million adults over the age of 12 had a drink in the previous month. Sixty-one million of them binge-drank, and sixteen million of them overindulged in alcohol over the previous month. In addition, 14.8 million or so of that population suffered from an alcohol-related problem.

After conducting a study on tobacco use among Americans over the age of 12, SAMHSA found that 69.6 million people, or 27.4% of the population, had used tobacco in the 30 days prior to the survey. NSDUH’s 2018 data on tobacco usage show that 58.8 million Americans were current smokers, despite the fact that tobacco consumption is declining.

According to the CDC’s analysis of the 2018 National Youth Tobacco Survey, middle school and high school students’ e-cigarette smoking increased by 49% and 78%, respectively.

Additional 2018 NSDUH data illustrates the U.S. prevalence of heroin and opiate usage. The study found that during 2017 and 2018, roughly 808,000 Americans used heroin, and about 2 million Americans suffered from an opioid-related disease.

Approximately 43.5 million Americans over the age of 12 used marijuana in 2017, according to NSDUH figures from 2018. Additionally, according to the report, 4.4 million drug users experienced at least one SUD. Short-term adverse effects of marijuana include slowed response times and hallucinations. Memory loss and decreased judgment are long-term negative effects.

The NSDUH reports an increase in the use of other medications. According to the association, 1.9 million Americans used methamphetamine in 2018 alone; of these, 1.1 million had a drug-related condition. Methamphetamine consumption has increased fourfold since 2011.

Additionally, NSDUH discovered that almost 5.5 million Americans acknowledged taking cocaine in 2018. According to a 2018 CDC data, between 2016 and 2017, there was an approximately three-fold rise in cocaine usage.

Do People Actually Go Through Alcohol and Drug Withdrawal?

Withdrawal is a possible side effect for someone starting therapy. The process of stopping a drug is called withdrawal, and its intensity might vary.

During withdrawal, dependency on substances and people may also manifest. When you stop using drugs or alcohol for a period, your body becomes used to them and starts to exhibit physical signs. In order to continue being your “normal” self, you must take the medicines. Psychological reliance originates in the mind. You think you can’t live without using; for instance, you can’t have fun or be social without drinking alcohol.

When you have a drug or alcohol psychological dependence, you could also start to feel as though you have to consume the substance constantly. You think that without medicines, you could not survive.

Physical dependency is the state in which you require drugs to even feel normal since your body has grown accustomed to consuming them. An addiction to a depressant, such as alcohol, for instance, might cause tremors, agitation, or restlessness when you abstain from drinking. During withdrawal from some drugs, such as opioids, one may experience nausea or sweating. Cannabis and cocaine withdrawal frequently results in emotional symptoms that range from sadness to irritation.

The severity of withdrawal symptoms varies based on:

How much time have you spent utilizing

Which medication(s) do you take?

Age

Physical well-being

psychological traits

Procedure for Withdrawal

Withdrawal can occasionally be lethal, particularly if you are in a serious situation. It is highly recommended that you contact your healthcare professionals if you are thinking about quitting or need addiction therapy.

Diverse reactions are conceivable throughout the withdrawal process.

Symptoms of Withdrawal

Each person experiences symptoms differently, based on the type of substance used and the extent of addiction. The way you would feel if you stopped using them would be the symptoms. For example, stopping cocaine use will leave you feeling exhausted, angry, and sad.

Habitations

The brain will always yearn to return to that “normal” condition since it is accustomed to the medications. There will be moments when your desires are so intense that you have to give them in. You must thus actively engage in positive activities like reading, working out, picking up new skills, and other pursuits if you want to successfully control your desires.

Withdrawal Might Not Happen as Soon as Expected

Naturally, the effects will linger longer even if you will stop in a short amount of time, based on the previously mentioned conditions.

There are four primary steps in withdrawal:

Tolerance

When you continue to use a substance, your body’s response to it becomes less strong. This is known as tolerance. This implies that you need to take more of the medication in order to have the same result as previously. Keep in mind that tolerance is simply the body being less sensitive to the chemical; it does not suggest severe addiction.

Cessation

To put it plainly, it entails giving up alcohol and drugs.

Severe Withdrawal

Acute withdrawal, which affects alcohol as well as prescription and illegal substances, happens in the initial few days following cessation. As was previously said, every impact is unique. This implies that there are differences in the duration of these symptoms as well.

Reversible Withdrawal

This is the period that follows acute withdrawal, as the name implies. It is also known as prolonged withdrawal and is characterized by a number of severe, enduring symptoms that last long after the addiction has ended. All individuals with substance use problems, however, must go through this vital phase in the early stages of withdrawal. In order to recover from the alterations it experienced during the active addiction stage, the brain often goes through a reorientation phase.